Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A high action adventure story of revenge, set in American tobacco plantations, England and Africa. The book opens with a debate about the abolition of slavery between students at Cambridge University in 1841. Very timely considering how the world is at the moment with the Black Lives Matter movement. The two men in the debate are destined to clash many times again - you can feel it.

Brutal in places, depicting cruelty to both man and beast, the story covers the ivory trade and the harrowing use of slaves in the New World of the nineteenth century. Yet, despite the uncomfortable aspects it is still an easy read in places when romance and history take over.

Wilbur Smith is a giant of a storyteller, famed for his tales of adventure set in Africa and this book is perfect for his many fans.

Call of the Raven is the latest book from the prolific Wilbur Smith and it is yet another very readable, action packed thriller i.e. a typical Wilbur Smith novel.

This book is a prequel to the Mungo St John story and fills in the “gaps” in his background and helps to show why he became the character you have previously read about.

Despite it being a prequel it can still be easily read as a stand-alone without any issues

Recommended

This book is a prequel to the Ballantyne series by the same author. I don't think I've read that series, but I will now. The book tells the back story of Mungo St John in the 1840s. He is the son of a wealthy plantation owner and at the beginning of the book he is studying at Cambridge University. He receives a letter to return home and then the story really begins.

Call of the Raven is described as an action packed adventure. And it is. But it is also a historical novel and a love story is woven throughout in a very skillful way. Much of the book is about the slave trade and reading some of this is uncomfortable at a time when the news is full of activism under the banner of black lives matter. But I think it is important that stories like this are told so that we remember the poor decisions made in the past.

The storytelling in this book is extraordinary. It is not predictable. You cannot guess the ending. It's the sort of book that you just want to keep reading and reading and reading!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really really enjoyed this read. I never before enjoyed the writing of either Wilbur Smith or Corban Addison but I will look out keenly for both of these authors in the future. I generally enjoy historical fiction anyway and am particularly interested in writing based on the slave trade. This was really well written. It drew me in and held me gripped throughout. Mungo St. Clair, the son of a plantation owner received a letter informing him of the death of his father which urged him to return home as soon as he could. Once he arrived he discovered deserted fields where their plantations grow. He soon learns that his father lost all thy owned to gambling before taking his won life. Chester Marion was his father's lawyer, also happens to be the current owner of Mungo's father's plantation. He has sold their slaves and has taken Mungo's lover as his own mistress so Mungo plots revenge. The story that ensues gives great insight into the lives of the slaves, those seeking their fortunes, poachers and slavers. It is well written and full of emotion. I give it 4 stars

“Beware the black heart, and the thirst that never quenches”

Cambridge University, 1841. A debate is taking place among the undergraduates about slavery. On the opposing sides are Fairchild, against, and Mungo St John, for. Fairchild wins the debate, as he fully expected to, but St John has placed a side bet and received enough votes to win the wager, so also claims victory from defeat. The first clash of many between the two men.

Soon after, St John receives a letter from his home in Virginia telling him he must return to the USA. When he arrives there, he finds the place deserted, the fields that should be full of tobacco growing are weed strewn and empty. His father has died and Mungo has been swindled out of his inheritance. He vows revenge on the man who has done this to him.

The remainder of the book is taken up with how Mungo goes about exacting his revenge. The action takes us from the cotton fields of Virginia and Louisiana to the docks of England and the shores of Africa.

There is a detailed and harrowing account of the treatment of slaves from Africa, loaded and chained on to the sailing ships that transported them in shocking conditions to the “New World”, most to be worked to death.

Forty years on, Call of the Raven is a prequel to A Falcon Flies and the series of books about the Ballantyne family. It is a hugely entertaining book and Wilbur Smith has lost none of his ability to thrill his readers.

Thoroughly recommended and a worthy 5 star book.

Mr Bumblebee

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book for review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read any other books in this series and I loved this. The book follows the life of Mungo St John and his love of Camilla. It is a gripping read and gives insight into the lives of slaves both before and after the abolition of slavery.This book is highly recommended and I cannot wait to read more!!

Approximately 30 years ago I read my very first Wilbur Smith novel 'A Falcon Flies'. I can remember vividly reading the first page and being catapulted into another world. 'The Call of the Raven', introducing a young Mungo St. John as a prequel to 'A Falcon Flies' lived up to my expectations and is a brilliant read that will keep you captivated and enthralled from start to finish. It's one of those books that you just can't put down! My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another excellent book by Wilbur Smith featuring the Mungo St. John who when he returns from university to his home and finds his father dead and his inheritance taken by Chester Marion and also his childhood sweetheart Camilla. He takes to sea to earn money to come back to take back what is his. Enthralling from the first page to the last. I was very sorry to finish the book!

Call of the Raven is a fabulously entertaining book, these two authors have given us a rollercoaster of a story, full of action, intrigue and history. With a cast of characters good, bad and downright evil.
Here we are reintroduced to Mungo StJohn from A Falcon Flies, but this goes back to his days as a student at Cambridge University where he has to return home on his fathers death to find he has been stripped of his inheritance and left with nothing. Mungo is certainly a complex character and we learn what made him the ruthless black hearted adventurer he became.
Based on the slave trade so moving seamlessly from the Southern States in America to Africa we are given insight into it’s appalling darkness, although well known and documented the vivid descriptions will cause many a shudder.
This is a book full of adventure, thrills, romance and heartbreak, but above all it is a cracking page turning story that will keep you enthralled with its breathless speed and storyline.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I've read all of Wilbur Smith''s books over the past 30 odd years. He's certainly kept up the standard of research he carries out.and this one doesn't disappoint. Another brilliant offering by one of the most prolific, talented authors I've ever come across. Highly recommended.

I was introduced to Wilbur Smith by my father when I was a teenager, introduced my children to his books when they were old enough to appreciate them and will read his books, no matter what the blurb or reviews say, so was excited to see he had written another book. Icing on the cake is finding another favourite author, Corban Addison, attached to it as well.
And the book did not disappoint. It has everything, action, adventure, romance, history, fast-pace, characters to love and hate and descriptions that transport the reader from America to Africa and back. I could not put it down!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another rip roaring tale of high.adventure from the pen of the mighty Wilbur Smith! The action veers between America and Africa at breakneck speed with Mungo St.John to the fore this time. Love, violence ,moral dilemmas all intertwine in this explanation of how St.John became the villain in later tales. As always stunningly atmospheric with beautiful descriptions of the natural wonders this is an excellent yarn.

This book was exciting and entertaining from the beginning and had me gripped until the very last page! The book deals partly with the slave trading that was a big part of the merchant culture previous years, and how little a slave's life meant to the merchants. One of the biggest no-no's would be for a white man to fall in love with a slave girl, and this sets the tone of the whole book. A man's love for his girl, and his quest to avenge her death. This was another brilliant offering by one of the most prolific, talented authors I've ever come across. Highly recommended.